Gallipoli Art Prize 2024 Winner: Luke Cornish

‘The Pity of War’

Aerosol/Acrylic on Canvas

122cm x 91cm

Celebrated stencil artist Luke Cornish has won the 2024 Gallipoli Art Prize with his powerful work ‘The Pity of War’ depicting a woman and a hooded figure huddled together wearing gas masks. Cornish describes the work as “a contemporary reinterpretation of Michelangelo’s iconic ‘La Pieta,’ reimagined to convey the profound sorrow experienced by mothers who have lost their children to the ravages of war.”

“By invoking the spirit of Michelangelo’s masterpiece, I seek to pay homage to the enduring power of art to illuminate the human condition. ‘The Pity of War’ serves as a poignant reminder of the futility of violence and the urgent need for peace, encouraging reflection on the true cost of war and the imperative of compassion and understanding in our world,” Cornish says in his accompanying artist statement.

[ Read Luke Cornish’s full artist statement here ]

Luke Cornish (also known as E.L.K) is an award-winning artist, known for his irreverent brand of photo realistic stencil art that has garnered him global acclaim. In 2012 Cornish was the first stencil artist to become a finalist in the Archibald Prize with his portrait of Father Bob McGuire. Cornish has been an Archibald finalist three times, including this year. His work is all done by hand, cutting out sheets of recycled acetate with a scalpel and building up hundreds of layers of aerosol paint, until the works take on a photographic quality. 

[Watch Luke Cornish create his winning work ]

Growing up in Canberra, Cornish worked as a sign writer and labourer before taking up stencil art as a hobby in the early-2000s. He has won numerous art prizes and exhibited his work across Australia and in major international cultural centres. His work is held in public and private collections around the world, including his portrait of former Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke, which was acquired by the National Portrait Gallery of Australia. Cornish continues to make street art on the streets of Sydney and his adopted home of Wollongong.

Cornish has made multiple visits to Syria, Lebanon and Iran. In early 2017 he co-founded the ‘For Syrias Children’ charity organisation, which works in conjunction with non-government organisations on the ground in Syria, raising funds for Syrian children affected by conflict.

Gallipoli Art Prize 2024 Highly Commended: Kate Stevens

‘Witness’

Oil and Acrylic on Canvas

41cm x 112cm

The 2024 Gallipoli Art Prize judges also highly commended Kate Stevens for her work

‘Witness’, a a portrait of Dusty Miller, whistleblower and former SAS medic who served with Australia’s Special Forces in Afghanistan and who gave testimony to the IGADF Afghanistan war crimes inquiry.

“Dusty and the other veterans who spoke at great personal cost about what they witnessed have done the nation a great service; showing courage and loyalty in upholding the qualities which Australians could and should aspire to,” Stevens said in her accompanying artist statement.

[ Read Kate Stevens full artist statement here]

Now in its 19^th year, the $20,000 Gallipoli Art Prize, auspiced by the Gallipoli Memorial Club, invites artists to respond openly to the broad themes of loyalty, respect, love of country, courage, comradeship, community, peace and freedom as expressed in the Gallipoli Memorial Club’s creed.

Read the full media release here